1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to modular security vaults for use by various institutions, especially banks and jewelers, for storing money, valuables, and other items that are at high risk for theft. Specifically, the present invention is directed to the particular panels comprising the vaults and their method of manufacture.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a number of different types modular security vaults, most of which are formed of concrete and/or metal such as steel. Modular vaults are made up of a series of standard and non-standard panels. When the panels are assembled and joined with a door, a secure vault system is formed. Because of the size and weight of many types of vaults, the individual panels that make up the vaults are generally manufactured off-site, and then shipped on-site for assembly. Since the panels can be quite heavy, due to the size and material composition of the panels, shipping costs can also be very expensive, making transport across country, for example, cost prohibitive in relation to the price of the vault itself.
A common method of fabricating a concrete modular panel for subsequent assembly into a security vault is by using a xe2x80x9cfixedxe2x80x9d mold or form which is preferably fitted with rebar mattes of structural steel. Typically, a conventional fixed mold has four sides and a bottom. A concrete chemical composition known in the art as a bond breaker is applied to the inner surface of the mold to prevent the concrete panel, upon curing, from adhering to the mold during removal therefrom. When the panel is removed from the mold, it is ready for installation. The mold may then be reused for the fabrication of subsequent concrete panels. An advantage of this method is that the vault manufacturer can create an inventory of panels having standard widths for subsequent assembly. Also, since there is no steel used on the outside of the panel, material costs are significantly less. Shipping costs are also decreased by the elimination of the steel from the panel, thus making the panel lighter. However, one major disadvantage of this method is that the ability to design custom vaults is somewhat limited due to the cost of manufacturing these molds, since building, repairing, and replacing such molds is quite expensive. Also, as the molds gradually wear, the quality of the finished panels is diminished.
Another method of constructing concrete-based modular vault panels is by what is known as the xe2x80x9cpan-stylexe2x80x9d method, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1F. Here, 18-GA. galvanized sheet metal (1) is sheared and formed into a three-sided xe2x80x9cpan.xe2x80x9d FIG. 1A is a flow chart illustrating a series of exemplary bends made on a flat piece of 18-GA steel to fabricate the pan. As shown in FIGS. 1B-1C, the pan is then end-capped on both sides with a sheet of 11 GA steel (3) to create a five-sided mold for a vault panel, the top side of which is left open for purposes of pouring the concrete therein. The mold is then fitted with reinforced steel, preferably a steel rebar matte (3). In this method, the entire mold will ultimately become part of the finished panel (P) (FIG. 1F). Thus, the number of molds constructed per the pan-style method is the same as the number of finished panels needed to assemble the security vaults. Once the molds are constructed, they are laid out in sequence on a concrete pouring deck per the engineering blueprints. The sides and end caps forming the individual molds are then tack welded together so that the seams remain tight, thereby ensuring a quality fit. The seams are further covered with an adhesive cloth to keep them clean. Concrete is then poured into the assembled molds and left to cure. Upon curing, the vault panels are removed for subsequent installation.
An advantage of the pan-style method of vault panel construction is that the manufacturer has complete flexibility in the design of custom vaults, since the xe2x80x9cmoldxe2x80x9d portion of the panel is created per plan specifications prior to the concrete pour. Since the mold becomes part of the finished panel, there are no expensive molds to build or repair. Also, adjacent panels may be welded together via the metal mold component of the panel. The seams remain tight, thereby eliminating gaps, and the overall quality of the assembled vault is improved as opposed to the conventional fixed mold method discussed above. A major disadvantage of the pan method, however, is that the costs of material and labor are much higher than for the fixed mold method due to the incorporation of the sheet metal. And unlike for the fixed mold method, an inventory of pan-style molds cannot be maintained.